Competition calendar

I’ve used the word ‘calendar’ because it isn’t a competition schedule.

A competition schedule (whether for a part or full year) usually just lists the date, competition type and venue.

There are more considerations in the BE Eventing world than in the unaffiliated competition world; Entries dates and Ballot dates.

The Entries date is self-explanatory, it’s the date that entries open for a BE.

But the Ballot date?

That’s because every BE is over-subscribed.

So on the ballot date the organisers put the names of those who have entered in to a hat, then they draw out names until the number left in the hat is the same as the number of entrants they can run.

But what the over-subscription/ballot means is that being a paid-up member, having a paid-up, registered horse and firing off an entry with the correct amount of money (and paying what’s called ‘the starter’s fee’ on the day, is no guarantee of getting a run on the day of competition.

In fact there’s a lot of discussion about the over-subscription/ballot process in the eventing print media this month.

So it’s complicated.

And that’s why a competition calendar is necessary.

So here’s mine – up to the end of June.

B.